Pages

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

1. manage without or get
rid of e.g. shall we dispense with formalities ?

2. another word for selling- To distribute or provide (a service or
information) to a number of people hence dispensing chemist (pharmacists),
dispensing opticians.

The Selling of Spectacles has a long business pedigree and much to teach us

Historians tell us that the city of Florence by the middle of the fifteenth century
led in terms of innovation, production, selling, and spread of spectacles within and
outside Italy. Florence
had become the leading manufacturer of readily available and affordable
good-quality spectacles. The documentation available tells us that in Florence the name of 52 spectacle makers between 1413 and 1562 and the location of their shops.

The large numbers of spectacles circulating in north west
Europe (especially London) from the 14th century were being mass produced in the low countries.

They were then manufactured in England beginning in the 15th
century. Other centres of production like Germany, France, and Netherlands
began to appear by the sixteenth century
but they never produced anything near the quantity of the Florentine as recorded in documentation until well into the seventeenth century.

Today's optometrists and ophthalmologists use eye
charts, trial frames, retinal photography, colour vision deficiency, duochrome
tests to produce the prescription for your eyes, with those mystical
abbreviations. SPH (long or short sightedness), CYL for astigmatism and
dipotres, AXIS (angle (or direction) at which the CYL value should be applied
to the base lens specified by the SPH value.

A dispensing optician is
trained to dispense and fit spectacles and other optical aids, working from the
prescriptions written by optometrists and ophthalmologists. Dispensing
opticians advise customers on various types of lenses and spectacle frames,
including advice on style, weight and colour.Like many markets, the optical dispensing world is experiencing huge changes in this era of the fourth industrial revolution and the Internet of Things ( IoT).Some changes they can predict and forecast, others they will nimbly have to react to. The new age of shorter buying cycles, with uncertain economies and markets are now complex and at times most confusing. Yet that is the same for many of us in selling, whatever our marketBut whether customers communicate to the supply side through the virtual buy on line or real channels in the high street , their human nature does not change much.

'Looking after No. 1' has always been a key buying motivation. We are at the centre of our own universe. We are the 'stars' of our own story. We are motivated by our legacy.Just look at the proliferation of selfies on Facebook as we lay down our personal legacy.Question:If you are tagged in a group photo on Facebook / LinkedIn , when you click on the link who do you look for first in the photo ?

Answer:Yourself !

That is of course the same for your Clients. They see the world from their point of view - they are stars in their own story not ours.It means that we salespeople need to express our communication from our client's point of view.This applies even in a distress sell where one might imagine the customer is at the mercy of the seller. Here's a personal example.Just before Christmas 2015 I broke one leg off my specs. As well as needing to get them repaired , I was also due for an eye test. I have worn specs since I was six. Over the years I have had to change my lenses many times. Each time it was a distress sell since I cannot function without specs.My first specs were those heavy toughened glass as thick as the bottom of milk bottles. Then came an era of more variety of frames. Then lightweight plastic lenses. Then came in the fashion houses like Gucci, YSL with all their fancy frames etc.Each time my new glasses were a distress sell. I did not just want them I needed themNone the less I still needed to be sold to because there is always competition of one sort or another. Take a look at the following photos of all the opticians in my local town of Farnham, Surrey.

Bartlett and Austin Opticians
in West Street, Farnham

C E Hall Opticians
West Street , Farnham

The Optical Studio in Lamb and Lion Passage, Farnham

There is considerable competition in optician outlets in Farnham . The big multiples such as Specsavers , Boots and Vision Express as well as local independent dispensing firms and family businesses.

Vision Express,
Borough, Farnham

Specsavers in
West Street, Farnham

With such a variety on offer I asked locals who were the best opticians. My sight is important to me and the cheapest provider is not my priority. The after-care is important as well.

Boots Opticians, The Borough , Farnham

Others may see my specs as part of my face but that is from their perspective but when I look through the lenses I look from the opposite direction, outwards towards their faces. They do not see the world as I do nor do I theirs. Most folk who wear glasses don't have to until they get a bit older and notice reading and driving are becoming more problematic.But once you need to wear specs , you will get your prescription with mystical optical jargon SPH, Cyl and Axis ( see above) . You need a bespoke solution. We can learn about selling a bespoke solution from the dispensing optician.

AS the customer we look at the eye chart and the trial specs are loaded up lenses . Then there comes a point when it is nearly clear.

Unlike a conventional eye chart

with an "I
strain" chart the higher up the chart

is better when
communicating with a client.

The addition of one more lens whose power is barely recognisable on its own; but when added to trial frame it hits the visual equivalent of the 'sweet spot'. The communication from the optometrist relies on our response to reading the letters on the chart and check questions such "Is better with this lens or this lens? "The salesperson's 'I strain chart' works in the opposite direction to the traditional eye chart. The higher up the chart the better your selling prescription will be for your client.Firstly, listen to your client. When you speak use language from the client's point of view. This is achieved by use words like you, your, you'll.Remember, to the client their selfies are very interesting. Our selfies are only so so. Best words are the You , Your and You'll words . It's best to drop the royal WE of corporate speak. It may be OK in a brochure which broadcasting - but selling / dispensing is about focused narrow-casting. Just think how quickly we all soon switch off to salespeople spouting:- "we are the leaders i..., we have won these awards....., we are registered with ISO,......... Even more dangerous is to swamp clients with 'I'- strain talk " While I'm here,... What I'd like to do, I would like to have a little chat about...So focus on the client's bull's eye - your bespoke target.

Use 'U' speak a bit more e.g YoU, YoU'll and YoUrReduce the We*Minimise the i

( *If the 'We' means You-and-I together, that is OK; but try and reduce the royal 'We' ..like Queen Victoria "we are not amused")'U speak' helps with written and verbal communication e.g. Speech, Email, Twitter,Social media Linked In /Facebook Texting .We celebrated Burns' Night last Monday. So here is a little bit of Burns relevant to all sellers and dispensers

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie usTo see oursels as ithers see us!

The power of using 'U' speak such as "You", "You'll " and "Your" in your communication with clients is such a gift. 'U' speak helps professional salespeople to express the world as 'ithers' ( others) see it and personalise their offer to the client.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog

About Me

I have been a training consultant for 30 years.
I also research Buyers Views of Sales people for an ongoing research study I have done for the last twelve years
The majority of photographs, videos and audios in this blog are taken on my new Fujifilm Fine pix T from May 2012 The Pencil Sketches are mine also